Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 22, 2025
07:28
JUMPn: A Streamlined Application for Protein Co-Expression Clustering and Network Analysis in Proteomics
Published on: October 19, 2021
3.5K
Protein hormone fragmentation in intercellular signaling: hormones as nested information systems
Kenneth L Campbell1, Nurit Haspel2, Cassandra Gath1
1Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA.
Biology of Reproduction
|January 6, 2021
Summary
Protein hormones function as nested information systems, generating fragments that regulate physiological processes. These fragments, similar in size to peptide hormones, modulate various cellular functions and protein interactions.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Protein hormones are traditionally viewed as signaling molecules.
- Their post-translational processing and potential regulatory roles of fragments are less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate protein hormones as nested information systems.
- To explore the physiological regulatory roles of protein hormone fragments.
Main Methods:
- Developed a computational approach for predicting proteolytic breakdown of protein hormones.
- Cataloged 461 human protein hormones and their predicted fragmentation patterns.
- Analyzed proteolysis patterns in relation to exon junctions.
Main Results:
- Identified persistent peptide fragments (9±7 peptides of 8±8 amino acids) from protein hormone transcripts after protease cleavage.
- Observed a significant excess of predicted proteolysis near exon junctions (P < 0.01).
- Demonstrated that protein hormone transcripts generate fragments acting as modulators of cellular functions.
Conclusions:
- Protein hormone transcripts yield multiple fragments with potential regulatory roles.
- Proteolysis at exon junctions may be an evolved mechanism complementing gene exon fusion for genomic simplification.
Related Concept Videos
01:08Chemical Signaling in the Endocrine System
5.5K
A signaling cascade is a series of events that facilitates the transmission of information within or between cells, culminating in a targeted response in the recipient cell. As chemical messengers, hormones are pivotal in initiating and modulating these intricate signaling cascades based on their solubility.
Lipid-soluble hormones, such as steroid hormones, demonstrate an intracellular action. These hormones traverse cell membranes due to their lipid nature. Once inside the target cell, they...
Lipid-soluble hormones, such as steroid hormones, demonstrate an intracellular action. These hormones traverse cell membranes due to their lipid nature. Once inside the target cell, they...
5.5K
01:22Target Cell Response to Hormones
4.7K
Hormones intricately bind to receptors on the surface or within target cells, initiating a cascade of cellular responses.
Notably, the cellular response can be regulated by altering the number of receptors expressed in the cell. For example, prolonged exposure to elevated hormone levels results in a gradual decline or down-regulation in the number of receptors for that specific hormone on the cell surface. Conversely, in response to low hormone levels, cells may use up-regulation, producing an...
Notably, the cellular response can be regulated by altering the number of receptors expressed in the cell. For example, prolonged exposure to elevated hormone levels results in a gradual decline or down-regulation in the number of receptors for that specific hormone on the cell surface. Conversely, in response to low hormone levels, cells may use up-regulation, producing an...
4.7K
01:45Endocrine Signaling
66.5K
Endocrine cells produce hormones to communicate with remote target cells found in other organs. The hormone reaches these distant areas using the circulatory system. This exposes the whole organism to the hormone but only those cells expressing hormone receptors or target cells are affected. Thus, endocrine signaling induces slow responses from its target cells but these effects also last longer.
66.5K
01:26Secondary Messengers in Hormone Action
4.2K
Water-soluble hormones cannot cross the plasma membrane, so they rely on protein receptors that span the membrane to trigger intracellular signaling pathways. These pathways then activate second messengers inside the cell, including cAMP or calcium ions.
Many hormones bind to transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors that connect to regulatory G proteins. These G proteins can then activate enzymes such as adenylyl cyclase or phospholipase C. Adenylyl cyclase converts ATP to cAMP, activating...
Many hormones bind to transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors that connect to regulatory G proteins. These G proteins can then activate enzymes such as adenylyl cyclase or phospholipase C. Adenylyl cyclase converts ATP to cAMP, activating...
4.2K
01:19Regulation of Hormone Secretion
5.6K
Regulation of hormone secretion is a finely tuned orchestration driven by various types of stimuli, encompassing neural, humoral, and hormonal signals. Environmental cues instigate neural stimuli, where action potentials traverse nerve fibers to reach their designated targets. An illustrative scenario is the body's response to stress, wherein the sympathetic nervous system releases epinephrine from the adrenal glands, inducing the well-known 'fight or flight' reaction.
Humoral...
Humoral...
5.6K
01:21Cell-surface Signaling
53.3K
Hormones—or any molecule that binds to a receptor, known as a ligand—that are lipid-insoluble (water-soluble) are not able to diffuse across the cell membrane. In order to be able to affect a cell without entering it, these hormones bind to receptors on the cell membrane. When a first messenger, a hormone, binds to a receptor, a signal cascade is set off, causing second messengers, proteins inside the cell, to become activated, resulting in downstream effects.
53.3K